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Wreaths Across America Honors Veterans With 540,000 Wreaths

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday—the busiest time for a trucking company—Truckload Carriers Association members and other trucking companies have made it possible for hundreds of thousands of fresh remembrance wreaths to be placed upon veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery and at nearly 900 other cemeteries nationwide on Dec. 14, 2013, known as National Wreaths Across America Day.

Wreaths Across America, along with nearly 30,000 volunteers, placed remembrance wreaths on the headstones of more than 143,000 veterans at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 14. This is the organization’s 22nd year laying wreaths at the Nation’s cemetery and marks the largest number ever delivered.

Across the country, 540,000 remembrance wreaths were placed in honor of veterans at 908 locations (including Arlington).

Photo courtesy of Prime Inc.

A convoy of more than 30 vehicles, including tractor-trailers, buses, motorcycles and cars carrying wreaths, veterans, families of fallen soldiers, and supporters, delivered the wreaths from Maine after participating in a week-long convoy. The group stopped at schools, memorials and in communities in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, to share its mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.

As part of the ceremony, Patriot Guard Riders laid a wreath at the grave of President John F. Kennedy. Later, Governor and Mrs. LePage placed a wreath at the USS Maine Memorial followed by a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This year, for the first time, a stop was made at the Statue of Liberty for the placement of a special Freedom Wreath. The wreath was placed at the Statue in a ceremony to commemorate and honor the men and women of our armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve all Americans’ sacred right to freedom.